Pratibha Devisingh Patil (1934 –b):

Term of Office: July 2007 to till date

Pratibha Patil has become the 12th President of the Republic of India and the first woman to hold the office over these six decades. And even she was the first women who held the role of 24^th Governor of Rajasthan. 

In her Speech on 62 Republic Day Eve, she has remarked, “The strength of a nation is not determined by the challenges it faces, but by its responses to these challenges, especially so when it stands at a critical juncture and at a decisive point. What we do in this coming decade in terms of leveraging our advantages and addressing our shortcomings, will shape the destiny of the nation.”

“... The time has come for us to take a closer look at our social milieu. Is there growing criminalization of our society? Is there increasing apathy towards each other? Are we becoming too materialistic, shortsighted and unconcerned about the impact of our actions on our brethren, society or the environment?”

Of course, she had addressed many problems related to women in her speech as “Programmes for women, the youth, the girl child, the differently-abled and marginalized sections of society will equip them to avail of opportunities and face the future with confidence. We need to address the problems of orphans and street children, as well as of the old and destitute.”

While addressing farmers, she said “In any arrangement, it should be kept in mind that farmers are stakeholders in every aspect related to agriculture, whether it is cultivation related activities, warehousing, processing, marketing, research or development. Farmers, therefore, must be involved in all these various activities, with a sensitivity that safeguards their rights on their land and its produce. The corporate sector should take up responsibility to make agriculture productivity remunerative, particularly in rain fed farming areas, as food security is of prime importance for our country.”

And addressing the national security, she had told “Development and progress require an environment of stability and security. The work of our police and internal security agencies is critical in this field, as also is our cooperation and dialogue with our neighbours for stability in our region, and with the international community to create a peaceful world. Terrorism poses the single most detrimental threat to the progress of humankind. There is a crucial need for concerted action by all members of the international community to eradicate the threat of terrorism. India's profile in global affairs is the focus of international attention today.”